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I just found out about the BTD 2-weeks ago, have read ER4YT and am on LR4YT. I have tried to find out my blood type and have gotten no support from the medical community where I live. I'm amazed at how hard it is to find out one's blood type and no one has heard of any of the tests/terminology in these books. Even a well known lab in my area has not heard of this. They finally agreed to type me (I will only know my blood type - not anything else). I've been to the hospital where my children were born, my OB doctor, my doctor, my husbands CFIDS/Gastro/Primary doctor and my children's doctor - with no answers/help - I get the same reaction - we don't do blood type or support the BTD! Has anyone else encountered this? What did you do? I make a decent living, but my $ is being wasted on doctor's who can't help me or my family. I have had chronic sinus infections/ear infections/inflammation and have been on antibitotics/anti-inflammatory medicines constantly for 3-yrs. I don't want to take these and want natural remedies! My husband has had Chronic Fatigue/Fibromalysia for 12-yrs and has chronic stomach problems/sleep problems/joint pain. My two children (7 and 11) have chronic stomach problems and auto immune disorders. This logic in his books makes sense to me (compared to all the other medical/diet/lifestyle books I've read over the past 10-yrs) and I want to begin it. Any help/insight you have would be very much appreciated!

Posted by: njdiva1 (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 12:46pm; Reply: 1

Welcome, mlpaul!

You are at the right place so hang in there!!! Collective knowledge will answer your questions and steer you in the right direction.

Where do you live? You may be able to go to the Red Cross to get you blood typed, not sure on this one so help me out BTDers. I would think your family doctor would simply write an order for you to take to a local laboratory for a "type and cross". You mentioned you have children. There has to be a record somewhere of your blood type as it is critical in the delivery of your second child pertaining to Rh compatibility.

Good luck.

Posted by: Brighid45, Friday, June 30, 2006, 12:50pm; Reply: 2

Hi mlpaul, nice to meet you :)

I'm really surprised at the medical community's reluctance to type your blood. It's vital information you need not only for the BTD, but in everyday life!

Their ignorance about secretor/MM/Lewis testing is ridiculous but unfortunately, all too true. My own doctor didn't know anything about secretor status. He was amused by my knowing I'm an O secretor and obviously thought it was irrelevant information. I'm gonna have to take in that copy of Eat Right I bought for him. *sigh* It gets old really fast when you have to educate your own physician! ;)

If you want to have your husband and children typed, you can order blood typing kits from North American Pharmacal (NAP). If you look at the top of this page, you'll see some blue buttons; one is labelled 'NAP'. If you click on it, it will take you to the NAP Store where you can order one kit per person. It's not hard to type your own blood and the kits are fairly cheap.

Once you know your type you can get started on adding beneficial foods to your diet and removing avoids. The same applies to your family once they know their types also.

Hang in there--you're on your way to bringing health to yourself and your family. Take it one step at a time and remember to breathe.

Welcome to the board! I look forward to your posts. :)

Posted by: Brighid45, Friday, June 30, 2006, 12:52pm; Reply: 3

njdiva's right--the Red Cross should notify you of your type if you donate and ask them to tell you. That's how I found out I'm an O+.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 12:56pm; Reply: 4

Quoted from mlpaul

I just found out about the BTD 2-weeks ago, have read ER4YT and am on LR4YT. I have tried to find out my blood type and have gotten no support from the medical community where I live. I'm amazed at how hard it is to find out one's blood type and no one has heard of any of the tests/terminology in these books.

Definitely the thing for you to do is to go to your local/regional blood bank (which is NOT the Red Cross in all regions, it could be some other organization where you live, you can easily find out in the local yellow pages under "Blood Bank", I think) and donate whole blood. You don't need to bring any sort of referral from a doctor or anything, just yourself and your I.D. They will type your blood before you donate for ABO and Rh (not secretor status, though). They will also run a bunch of other screening tests on your blood for everything from HIV to West Nile Virus to Hepatitis to CMV-status, etc. They will test your total cholesterol level, too (not the HDL:LDL ratio, though). All of this is totally free and you probably will be saving several lives at the same time. They will probably even give you a T-shirt when all is said and done! :D

Welcome to the BTD! :)

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:02pm; Reply: 5

Quoted from mlpaul

I have had chronic sinus infections/ear infections/inflammation and have been on antibitotics/anti-inflammatory medicines constantly for 3-yrs. I don't want to take these and want natural remedies! My husband has had Chronic Fatigue/Fibromalysia for 12-yrs and has chronic stomach problems/sleep problems/joint pain. My two children (7 and 11) have chronic stomach problems and auto immune disorders. This logic in his books makes sense to me (compared to all the other medical/diet/lifestyle books I've read over the past 10-yrs) and I want to begin it. Any help/insight you have would be very much appreciated!

p.s. omg, mlpaul, this is DEFINITELY the right diet for you and your family. You are in the right place. It sounds like you are close to a point of feeling very desperate, but please know that you are, right now, in "the darkness before the dawn", because you've found a diet that is going to help all of the above-listed health challenges, truly. Just do get ye to your local blood bank, donate blood, and you will be typed there for free. No prob!

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:04pm; Reply: 6

I contacted the Red Cross and they said I have to donate blood to find out what my type is. I was told by my doctor in the past not to donate blood as I am anemic, have low blood pressure (avg. 100/65) and low cholesterol. I had four tubes drawn several months ago and it took quite awhile to recover!

I should find out soon what my blood type is from the test I did yesterday. I will order the secretor test as they would not do that. How can I get the Urinary Indican test done? Neither my doctor or LabCorp will do this test (they don't even know what it is!).

How do I find out the =/- status? Is the Rh status necessary if I know I will not have more children? Is it worth it for me to purchase the blood test on this website know that I have gotten LabCorp (reluctantly) to do a basic type on me? I'm not sure what other information this test will show other than what type I am.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:05pm; Reply: 7

I've been looking at the other posts - What is a "nonnie"?

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:11pm; Reply: 8

I live between Durham, Chapel Hill, and Cary NC (known as RTP). This has been termed "the medical capital of the US" at least around here! There are medical emporiums at almost every corner! I guess that is in reference to conventional medicine, which from what I have learned recently is much different than alternative medicine (a bad word around here).

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:15pm; Reply: 9

Quoted from mlpaul

I contacted the Red Cross and they said I have to donate blood to find out what my type is. I was told by my doctor in the past not to donate blood as I am anemic, have low blood pressure (avg. 100/65) and low cholesterol. I had four tubes drawn several months ago and it took quite awhile to recover!

I should find out soon what my blood type is from the test I did yesterday. I will order the secretor test as they would not do that. How can I get the Urinary Indican test done? Neither my doctor or LabCorp will do this test (they don't even know what it is!).

How do I find out the =/- status? Is the Rh status necessary if I know I will not have more children? Is it worth it for me to purchase the blood test on this website know that I have gotten LabCorp (reluctantly) to do a basic type on me? I'm not sure what other information this test will show other than what type I am.

Hi again (not sure if you saw my two posts above yours, as you posted at about the same time, so you may not have seen them, so check them out first, as then the following might make more sense). About being anemic, not sure about your specific situation, but if you mean that your iron was low, that can change/vary, so one day you could be rejected as a donor, another day your iron could be fine and you would be accepted. The thing is, the blood bank does a whole battery of screening on you, including a very brief check-up, in order not just to ensure the safety of the blood supply, but to ensure the safety of the donor. If for any reason it would be even a possibility of being dangerous for you to give blood, you would be what is called "deferred", as in, told you could not donate on that day. Depending on the situation, it could either be a temporary deferral or a permanent deferral. So, in other words, if you decide in future that you would like to try to donate blood, I say go for it, as if there is ANY reason you should not, you will be screened out before donating, after they ask you a MILLION questions, take a finger-stick of your blood to test your iron, and do a little check-up on you (blood pressure, temp., etc.). Don't know if your doctor meant don't try to donate right at that time, or ever. But I'm saying that it could not hurt to give it a try, as the blood bank will NOT proceed if it is contraindicated in ANY way, trust me (I work at a blood bank! however, I'm just an admin. asst., I don't have medical training, so take me with several grains of salt).

So, LabCorp (boo, hiss, not a fan of that company) is going to test your ABO status, and that will be fine. I think when they do that, they will also test your Rhesus (+/-) status. It doesn't have a big impact on this diet at all, but there are a few foods where you will notice a little note about a food's status being slightly different for Rhesus pos or neg people. Nothing major, though. But I think Labcorp will test for both ABO and Rhesus at the same time...if not, that is REALLY wack of them, I mean, why not go for the gusto while they are doing it? Geez. Speaking of which...

It is such a shame how hard it is to find out the basic and important information of one's blood type these days!!!! When I was a baby in 1961, or perhaps a small tot at the pediatrician later, they tested mine as a matter of course. I still have a little, paper card in my wallet from the pediatrician, stating my O+ status. But nowadays they act like you are crazy if you show an interest in learning your blood type. What is that about? Weird.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:24pm; Reply: 10

Quoted from mlpaul

I've been looking at the other posts - What is a "nonnie"?

Sorry, I shouldn't use slang like that with a new person. Hey, it's Friday. A nonnie is short for a "non-secretor". You can either be a secretor, or a non-secretor. Most people are secretors, and the basic, original diet of ER4YT was mainly geared to them, since they are the majority. In later books, however, Dr. D. refined and customized the diet even more so that non-secretors within each ABO type had an individualized program and so did secretors within each type. Secretor status does impact to a significant degree on this diet. HOWEVER, don't panic, because if you don't know your secretor status right away, that is not a huge deal. I didn't know mine for several YEARS into the diet (the newer books weren't even out yet with the refinements anyway *lol*). It will be enough of a first step for you (and hopefully your family!) to get on the basic diet in ER4YT or, if you go by LR4YT, follow the secretor recommendations because most people are secretors. Typebase4 on this site has the latest food values. Again, if you don't know your secretor status, start by following the secretor guidelines. You will probably notice remarkable improvement in your health challenges starting to happen immediately. Just keep it going and, if things level off at any point, and you still don't know your secretor status, you could try the non-secretor refinements and see if that kicks it into high gear. However, you will want to order the secretor test and find out one way or another at some point. There is no big rush though and no need to feel overwhelmed or like there are all these tests you have to take and things you have to find out. You have enough to deal with right now with LabCorp (!), finding out your type, learning the basic diet, etc. One step at a time.

Nonnie, OUT!

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:24pm; Reply: 11

One more question . . . does anyone have experience with Collinsonia (or stone root)? Dr. D'Adamo states in ER4YT under Ear Infections, that "Echinacea" may help ear infections and "that the herb collinsonia (stone root) . . . helps sinusities . . . with astounting results" He states "Many of these patients no longer need antibiotics to treat their infections because the collinsonia removed the cause of the problem - swelling of the sinus tissue" and "No need to worry about toxicity; this is a safe herb." When I mentioned this to my doctor, she had never heard of this and told me to be very careful with natural remedies.

I have purchased Echinacea root "echinacea purpurea" mfg by Herb Pharm, and have ordered the stone root thru them (I hope to receive next week). I had a cat scan of my sinuses and they found a deviated septum, smaller than normal sinus cavities, and a curve in my sinuses on one side that was larger than normal, making it hard for fluid to drain. They recommended sinus surgery, which from what I've learned, I'm completely against! I tried to go without antibiotics for 3-mo (with a sinus and double ear infection) and last week went back on antibiotics as my head and ears were in more pain than I could tolerate and my doctor said it was imperative that I start ASAP.

Does anyone have experience with these two natural remedies? What are the pros and cons? I want to start, but my doctor has put fear in me to be very careful. I'm a problem solver and want to begin ASAP.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:27pm; Reply: 12

P.S. DUH--after I said all that about secretor status, I forgot to tell you what it IS! Hello. Secretor status refers to whether you do or don't secrete your ABO blood type antigen into your bodily secretions like tears, sweat, and saliva. If you DO (which is most people), you are a secretor, and you have a bit more protection from foreign invaders "at the gate", as your antigens are there standing gaurd. If you don't (which would make you a non-secretor), you are susceptible to certain health challenges (like inflamatory diseases such as fibromyalgia) and you ideally would be stricter about certain items in the diet, such as and specifically GRAINS. Grains and nonnies do not get along too well, sadly. Even the compliant (allowable) ones give many of us problems.

Anyway, that's secretor status in a nutshell.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:32pm; Reply: 13

Quoted from mlpaul

One more question . . . does anyone have experience with Collinsonia (or stone root)? Dr. D'Adamo states in ER4YT under Ear Infections, that "Echinacea" may help ear infections and "that the herb collinsonia (stone root) . . . helps sinusities . . . with astounting results" He states "Many of these patients no longer need antibiotics to treat their infections because the collinsonia removed the cause of the problem - swelling of the sinus tissue" and "No need to worry about toxicity; this is a safe herb." When I mentioned this to my doctor, she had never heard of this and told me to be very careful with natural remedies.

Me again (if you can believe it and stand it). I don't have experience with collinsonia, but I sure have experience with sinus/ENT issues, and with this diet. I'll let someone else speak to the question about Collinsonia but I want to assure you of one thing: just cutting out WHEAT alone will help your sinus issues tremendously if you are blood type O. And it will help also if you are blood type A (O's and wheat, however, are mortal enemies, if you are an O, you want to get off wheat immediately if at all possible). Wheat is very inflammatory, especially to O's, and so once you stop ingesting it, you will be AMAZED at the effect on your sinuses, ears, etc. Seriously. Amazed.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:35pm; Reply: 14

Thank-you for all your help! I have learned about the secretor status thru his book - and have tried to explain this to several people and doctors (I feel like a doctor right about now with all this terminology). Yes, it is sad to have to education your physician. I just wish I could find one that is at least half interested in what I'm doing - or at least positively supports me! I'm trying to get my health back - isn't that their goal? Ok, so it means less visits to their practice which may cut into their revenues (I feel like I've helped to support their move to a much nicer practice!). Maybe they need to revisit why they became physicians (other than for the money).

OK - enough doctor bashing. . . I will take your advise and contact the blood bank. LabCorp did give me their number yesterday. I would very much like to donate blood. I will trust that they will not take blood if it will hurt me! Thank-you again for all the information!

Posted by: Brighid45, Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:40pm; Reply: 15

mlpaul--I'd say at this point, until you know what your blood type is, use just the Collinsonia and set the Echinacea aside for the moment. If you are an O, Echinacea is not so good for you. Os tend to have overactive immune systems as it is, and adding an immune enhancer like Echinacea can cause more problems than solve them. Collinsonia on the other hand, is okay. It does work very well--I've been using it for chronic sinusitis and allergies for a few months now and it's great stuff, very gentle and effective.

You might also look into nettle leaf. I've found nettle to be an excellent herb for relieving allergies and sinusitis. It works well with Collinsonia.

Hang in there, be gentle with yourself, and remember to breathe. One step at a time. We'll be here to help you with whatever we can offer in the way of knowledge and encouragement. Many of us have been where you are now, so take heart. :)

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 1:51pm; Reply: 16

I've seen the wheat connection in my children and husband. They tested positive for wheat sensitivity during allergy testing. For a few months, I eliminated all wheat from their diets and made my own gluten-free bread (I experimented until I found one that they would eat). They did great on this, but had a hard time staying away from the normal taste/feel of regular bread (my bread had a cake-like taste that did not work very well with sandwiches). Recently, I have been purchasing spelt bread, which has really helped their stomach pains! The brand I use looks and tastes like normal sandwich bread (but is VERY expensive - I'm trying to concoct my own version to save money). They use to be doubled over in pain and now only have bouts of stomach pain (mainly when they eat at a friends or relatives house).

My husband followed a wheat free diet years ago upon the recommendation of his CFIDS doctor. He did well on it, but couldn't follow it for long. He is of Middle-Eastern decent and craves pita bread! If I can create a spelt bread that works, I will work on a Pita bread recipe They also appear to be sensitive to Dairy products. This has been harder to cut back on, but working on it. My husband thinks he is a type O (his mom and dad are a type O). I think I might be a type A - they mentioned it to me when I was pregnant with my son, but that was 11-yrs ago and I can't say for sure that is correct (and my OB practice is no longer in existence). I'm adopted, so I don't have any medical history. Not sure what my kids would be with parents of two different blood types, but my son seems to follow type O from what I've read (he loves meat and does not do good on wheat/dairy and is VERY active - loves sports!). My daugther on the other hand is a starch fanatic and hates meat - she tolerates vegetables and fruit. She loves swimming and does Yoga with me. Is it possible to have children with two different blood types? I guess we will find out soon!

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:05pm; Reply: 17

Quoted from mlpaul

Thank-you for all your help! I have learned about the secretor status thru his book - and have tried to explain this to several people and doctors (I feel like a doctor right about now with all this terminology). Yes, it is sad to have to educate your physician. I just wish I could find one that is at least half interested in what I'm doing - or at least positively supports me! I'm trying to get my health back - isn't that their goal? Ok, so it means less visits to their practice which may cut into their revenues (I feel like I've helped to support their move to a much nicer practice!). Maybe they need to revisit why they became physicians (other than for the money).

You know what I like about you so much already, mlpaul? You are a person who is empowering yourself about your own health care. You are approaching the system with a critical eye and if something doesn't seem right, you question it. You are also looking into alternatives that make sense to you. I think that with that kind of approach, you are on the right track, and I KNOW you have found the right diet. I just can't say enough about the BTD and I always fear that it sounds like I'm gushing but there are not enough superlatives, truly. And especially for the types of issues you mention, such as sinus problems (I feel your pain!!!!!!!!), this diet will work wonders. I can't wait to find out your blood type. If you are an O and you ditch the wheat, the results from that alone will amaze you.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:14pm; Reply: 18

Quoted from mlpaul

I've seen the wheat connection in my children and husband. They tested positive for wheat sensitivity during allergy testing. For a few months, I eliminated all wheat from their diets and made my own gluten-free bread (I experimented until I found one that they would eat). They did great on this, but had a hard time staying away from the normal taste/feel of regular bread (my bread had a cake-like taste that did not work very well with sandwiches).

Ah, you are a baker! This will be an amazing talent/skill to possess if you are an and/or if any of your family members are O's, as you can bake your own compliant (allowable) breads! One note about spelt: if it turns out that anyone in your family is a non-secretor, spelt is an avoid for them. You might try experimenting with other wheat-free bread alternatives, such as quinoa, rye or rice. Also, most health foods stores (often abbreviated down to HFS around these parts!) have breads in their freezer section, such as 100% rye. These are great for sandwiches. Recently, I discovered that rice cakes are good for sandwiches, too! But kids might not take to that, as one has to be pretty determined *lol*. I'd go with the 100% rye myself (French Meadows makes a great one...but BEWARE of their "rice" bread, it contains wheat.)

Quoted from mlpaul

I'm adopted, so I don't have any medical history.

The plot thickens! Wow. Well, you do have your lifelong medical history, even though you don't have those of your parents'. That's a solid foundation to go from.

Quoted from mlpaul

Not sure what my kids would be with parents of two different blood types, but my son seems to follow type O from what I've read (he loves meat and does not do good on wheat/dairy and is VERY active - loves sports!). My daugther on the other hand is a starch fanatic and hates meat - she tolerates vegetables and fruit. She loves swimming and does Yoga with me. Is it possible to have children with two different blood types?

Yes, your kids could be two different blood types if the parents are two different blood types. In fact, in one example, even if both parents are the same type--AB's, the kids could still come out as AB's, A's, or B's. Keeps things interesting.

Posted by: resting, Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:17pm; Reply: 19

Hi mlpaul,

you do pose some rather unique challenges ... re anemia - did your medical practitioner say what was the cause of this ... usually it is an iron deficiency, but other things can be the problem ... eg. low chlorophyll intake, or low zinc levels, or low vitamin B12; etc ... hormones, genetics ... to me it seems weird to have to recover from a small amount of blood drawn for testing ....

many of the above things I mentioned can be handled by some (not all) alternate medical approaches, but these are typically not handled by usual orthodox approaches. In some instances, orthodoxy is fine ... your particular set of doctors seem only set in handling only a number of treatable conditions. Maybe a good diagnostic service (like the Mayo Center) can provide you with some of the basics into your problems. There are other 'alternate' diagnostic services too ... like hair-mineral analysis ... and parasites in stools from Great Smokies Labs that can be a good indicator ... There are different approaches that may assist you in a more complete recovery ... eg. linking TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) with BTD (blood type diet).

Right now though the main task is to start .............

good luck - you've picked a real winner in BTD -

John

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:45pm; Reply: 20

Kyosha Nim - I enjoy cooking - it relaxes me, and I enjoy solving problems and "playing around" with food to find out what works and what doesn't (especially with finding out ways to "sneak" vegetables and other beneficial items into favorite foods without altering the taste too much). Since my husband and children are not too keen on my turn to organic foods, gluten-free breads and un-processed foods, I have had to get them acclimated to certain foods by slowly introducing it into their meals until they acquire a taste for it. The biggest help I had was cleaning out my fridge and pantry (yes, I threw away and donated A LOT of food), putting the new foods in plastic lock-n-lock containers (so they could not see the boxes) - many natural and organic foods "look" similar to their favorite junk foods. If they were hungry and wanted to "snack," the only choice they had was to pick from what was in the pantry. It's amazing what one will eat when they are hungry and have their choices limited. Not wanting to "punish" them, I told them that junk food was not allowed in the house and I would treat them occassionally when we were out to ice cream, fast food, snacks, etc. They liked this idea as during the first couple months I would take them 1 - 2x/wk to a nice restaurant and we would order - JUST DESSERT! I have only done this for one year now and found out that their bodies quickly acclimate to the "good" food we have at home and they quickly feel bad after eating outside the house ( a silent YEAH!!! - can't gloat too much in front of them or they will rebel! Got to empower them and make them feel as if they are in control, which they are for the most part - now). I also make it fun for them as they help me with the cooking and baking and I let them pick out a recipe they like and we try to find out how to make it with what's available at home. They LOVE challenges!

(a side note. . . my son made the comment at the beginning - "why do we have to eat organic and natural foods? Look at people a long time ago. They ate normal foods and did not have any problems." Both my husband and I had a puzzled look as we explained to him that there were no processed foods a long time ago - it was all organic and natural!)

I guess I will have to do this again once I find out what our blood types are - going back thru my pantry and fridge! Not sure how they will react this time as they are still adjusting to the organic and unprocessed foods.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:55pm; Reply: 21

Wow. The more you write, the more impressed I am. I only wish my sister would have anything close to your approach to feeding her own kids. Anything even remotely close to even one tiny aspect of all that you said in your post above. Your kids are blessed, that's all I'll say on that one. I think your approach to, and attitude towards, food/diet in your household is very wise.

Posted by: Lola, Friday, June 30, 2006, 2:59pm; Reply: 22

mlpaul,welcome!)get acquainted with the forum and all features of this website.once you get your test done and you know what blood type you are then you can go to the top of the page and click on member centre (on the top right hand side of this page) and get yourself a nice avatar (located on the left) then we can all see what blood type you are and you won't have to type it each time you post.-if you want to add information below your avatar setting, such as Rh +/-, by going to the Profile Information section in the Member Center and typing in the Personal Message box. You can also create a Signature of any other information you want to share that will go at the bottom of every message you post.-You can also create a Signature of any other information you want to share that will go at the bottom of every message you post.

Posted by: gulfcoastguy, Friday, June 30, 2006, 3:07pm; Reply: 23

mlpaul, please do not try to make rye bread until you find out that non of your family is of the B blood type. If they are it is a major avoid. When you know the blood types you can check out the status of various foods on typebase(third blue button from the left at the top of the page). They also often have recipes attached.

Posted by: Lola, Friday, June 30, 2006, 3:27pm; Reply: 24

those stomach pains you mention which your kids are experiencing might be signs of celiac issues, also..........

dairy is also difficult to handle, specially if you have sinus issues.....

Posted by: KimonoKat, Friday, June 30, 2006, 3:38pm; Reply: 25

Lola, she doesn't know her blood type yet.

mlpaul, Welcome to the forums! As you can already see, you will find lots of support here for helping to adapt your family to this new way of eating.

You will also find lots of scientific support for the diet in the Individualist Wiki. A great place to roam around and just learn!

Until you get your results for your whole family, here are two foods I would immediately add to your family's diet:

Add Ghee to everyone's diet. Start cooking with ghee, and have everyone take a tablespoon of ghee on an empty stomach. (More on that, in a bit.) And, add Broccoli into everybody's diet. Broccoli is a beneficial vegetable for every blood type, including secretors & non-secretors.

In the eight Health Series Books that Dr. D wrote (you and your family might benefit from the more refined diets in either the Allergies and/or Fatigue books), Ghee (clarified butter) turns into a beneficial fat for many of the blood types. Ghee is loaded with butyrate, which helps to heal and repair the villi in the colon.

Again, keep asking questions! There are no silly or stupid questions here. We are all here to help everyone succeed on this fantastic way of life!

Posted by: Patty Lee, Friday, June 30, 2006, 3:43pm; Reply: 26

Hi, mlpaul, and welcome!

I concur with Lola. My husband is an A and recently cut out dairy (he's not a BTDer, but he's supportive and sometimes interested in the broader applications--like when he has a stomach ache after bacon, I remind him that As aren't really geared for meat and no one's geared for pork, and he will, for the time being, agree! :) ). He has been able to breathe without sinus spray during the depths of allergy season and is now a convert.

I agree with Pepp, too, that cessation of wheat will likely help a LOT for your whole family, most likely. Perhaps Melissa, who is celiac (and a blogger here), or another gluten-intolerant person, will weigh in on the experience with gluten allergies. If they are indeed celiac, it is possible that some of grains, including rye, will trigger symptoms.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:00pm; Reply: 27

Sam Dan - the problem was with a low iron and white blood count. It has been awhile - I will have this tested again and try to donate blood. I have had several blood tests done recently and all have come back normal - with a few discrepancies - none which concerned the doctor's (the only one that my doctor wanted to keep an eye on was a slightly elevated bilirubin). Thank-your for your suggestions on alternative therapies. I have looked into these - more specifically into bio-feedback, hypnosis and acupuncture. The problem I'm running into are that these alternatives, although very beneficial, are quite expensive and insurance does not cover them. I make a good living, but have recently had a huge dent in my wallet from switching to organic foods, natural remedies, counseling and doctor's visits.

Everything I'm currently doing is putting a drain on my finances and I have now borrowed to a point that I do not feel comfortable with. I know that this will benefit my family in the long-run, but I feel the need to cut back a little right now, thus I have not pursued the alternative doctor's/treatments yet. I am still gathering information to find out which one to add when I'm financially ready to make the commitment (kind of doing a cost/benefit ratio on all the alternative methods).

A bit of history - for those this may help and may be in the same situation - I have been very healthy - until recently. As a child, I had an occassional cold. I had two very healthy pregnancies. My diet was not all that great as I ate the American Fare - highly processed foods, fast food, candy, sodas, tea, etc. I did have two minor bouts with food intolerances - one to spicy foods and one to milk. I cut back on these foods and felt better. After my pregnancies, my body must have changed because I could tolerate those foods again.

8-years ago, I started a job that quickly became very stressful. 3-years into the job I encountered ethical issues and struggled with which way to go. I grew up a shy and quiet kid who went with the flow. My training is in accounting and I was working for a non-profit agency (lots of ethical issues there). I finally found my voice and became very assertive and stood up for what I believed in. Although the results were good, the constant stress and worry of what to do taxed my system and I began having heart palpatations. I changed my diet and stopped taking sudafed. I went overboard in the quest for ethics and doing what is right. I also took on more and more "projects" as people referred me to others and recommended me for projects as I stood up "without fear for rejection," which they were not willing to do. I believe that this is the point where my body started to try and get my attention to show me what the stress was doing - and I ignored it because there were too many important projects to complete and they never stopped coming! The palpatations got worse, I would get adrenaline rushes where my face would turn bright red and I would feel very hot. Although this didn't feel good, the outcome did! Our books and methods of accounting became a template for other organizations. The ethical issues persisted and when I came to terms with what it was doing to my health, I moved on. My doctor commented on how good I looked 3-mo after starting my new job.

Unfortunately, I thrived on the adrenaline rush from problem solving and moved it into areas other than around my work and family. I spread myself too thin and ignored my bodies shouts to stop. I had a cast put on my foot last September, which halted my volunteering and other activities. My body finally had my attention and fell apart. I had one symptom after another that went unexplained. I left my doctor's office with 5-prescriptions, one for anxiety, more anitbiotics, anti-inflammatory meds, migrane meds (I still think my headaches and sensitivity to light are sinus related and not migranes) and a reflux med to counteract the stomach problems those med's might cause. Instead of driving to the pharmacy, I drove to the natural food store and started reading, reading and reading. Against my doctor's wishes, I am determined to find a natural remedy to "fix" my body and life and know it can be done. The ER4YT is commen sense to me and I'm glad to see such a large testimony to the lifestyle change! This is beginning to counteract my interactions with my doctor's lately - thank-you!

Posted by: KimonoKat, Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:08pm; Reply: 28

mlpaul{{{{Thank you}}}} for sharing your hard journey here. I think you will see, (once you and your family get typed), some long lasting benefits to eating for your type.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:18pm; Reply: 29

Last year, my son had a colonoscopy and endoscopy done and I asked them to do a biopsy to look for celiac and chrone's disease (he is very thin and has dropped from the 95th percentile when he was born to the 27th percentile - now at age 11 - we were concerned that he may not be absorbing nutrients from the foods). The doctor reluctantly did the procedure and said he thought the pain was from anxiety (which may partly be true). We never got clear results from his office regarding the celiac biopsy and I'm not so sure he actually did this. They did; however, find a blockage and they had several doctor's come in and look at something on the screen when doing some sort of X-ray prior to the test. Not sure what that was all about.

So, no celiac that I know of - although I still suspect it based on the reaction I've seen to wheat products.

I will try Ghee. Have not heard of this. I will research it some more to become more familiar with it.

We do eat a lot of broccoli. Glad to know this is helpful! It's one of the few vegetables that everyone likes!

I will see if the Fatique book is at our library. Hopefully my husband will read it while I finish up LR4YT. He has shown a little interest in the ER4YT book once I had him read the section on Chronic Fatique.

Thank-you again for your input!

Posted by: KimonoKat, Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:32pm; Reply: 30

Melissa J, one of our Admin and Bloggers who has celiac I believe has said that you can have a false negative with the biopsy tests for celiac. I may be wrong, but I think that's correct.

I would try to eliminate as much commercial wheat as possible until everyone in the family is typed. The fatigue book is for individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is why I think it would be perfect for your husband.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:41pm; Reply: 31

Quoted from mlpaul

So, no celiac that I know of - although I still suspect it based on the reaction I've seen to wheat products.

Well, KK is right, it is apparently very tricky to get an accurate diagnosis of celiac. That said, when it comes to Type O's (not that we know your type or your family's types yet, but just saying IF you are Type O), even without celiac, we, as a blood type, have a very adverse reaction--or, I should more accurately say, we have a very adverse range of reactions--to wheat. Frankly, I've concluded that wheat is not really a food that humans should be consuming, except perhaps for Type B's and they should even stick to SPROUTED wheat probably. I don't know how our species got involved in the whole milling, processing and ingesting of wheat business in the first place. Very ill-advised, that. ;)

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:44pm; Reply: 32

P.S. btw, KK, yes, Melissa the fabulous blogger extraordinairre definitely has celiac disease. And at least one of her children does, too. She is such a great resource on this site, as she not only sports celiac, but she is very intelligent, a great writer and very helpful by nature. I'm sure she'll discover this thread in due course and pop in to share her very valuable two or three cents.

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 4:49pm; Reply: 33

mlpaul, a little aside: When you see "Sam Dan" or "Kyosha Nim", that is actually not the poster's name, but their belt level (Here's a link w/info. about that, yet there are a few other designations/belt levels that the link doesn't mention, but you get the general idea: http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b=ref,m=1097503925). The member's/poster's actual screen name/moniker is the thing above that belt designation.

Hope that made any sense the way I just described it!

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, June 30, 2006, 5:14pm; Reply: 34

Thank-you for the insight into the names. I just learned about the forum today and the website in general yesterday. It's taking me awhile to learn how to navigate it and the different acronymns (sp?)

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Friday, June 30, 2006, 5:21pm; Reply: 35

Quoted from mlpaul

Thank-you for the insight into the names. I just learned about the forum today and the website in general yesterday. It's taking me awhile to learn how to navigate it and the different acronymns (sp?)

A LOT of people do that same thing when they first start, they think someone's name is "Sam Dan" or whatever. *Tee hee* You aren't the only one by any means! ;DIf you have any questions about how to navigate around, etc., you can always ask in the "Info Desk" forum area. The moderators know all.

Posted by: ieatmeatnlikeit, Saturday, July 1, 2006, 4:57am; Reply: 36

I just wish to express my astonishment and commendation toward everyone posting here! This is the forum in hyperdrive! Well done all. Everytime I have a chance to check in I just get the feeling that, well, more than most places on earth, this forum confirms somehow for me the notion that in spite of the beautiful individuality inheirent to the BTD principles and those participating, that we are ONE! Please don't anyone take this too much the wrong way. I just mean I'm trying to say the demonstration of support I've just read here seems to validate for me something basic that many of you most likely already know or feel. As one expression of life force to a bunch of others out there I feel a sublime form of unity on a level rare indeed. It is not original but crafted from others but I'm going to throw it out here: We are ONE and we might as well get good at it! This is a place where I certainly feel that is happening. Please forgive my gush. I hope I'm not out of line. I really don't intend to sound zelous(?) The folks without BTD understanding are ONE also they just don;t get it yet right? I've been -O-in' for a year and a half now and I've thought about writing something along these lines before and this thread prompted me to the tipping point. I'll be quiet now. Iemnli

Posted by: Debra+, Saturday, July 1, 2006, 11:10am; Reply: 37

mlpaul-welcome to the BTD forum. A place where you can learn and become healthy once again. :D So sorry that you have to go through all that trouble to find out your blood type. It is such a simple procedure that the conventional medical doctors "white coats" make difficult for us. IMHO-if we all follow this way of life everyone would be pretty well healthy and the jobs of the "white coats" would be jeopardized. Either they don't understand or don't want to.

Quoted from ieatmeatnlikeit

I just wish to express my astonishment and commendation toward everyone posting here! This is the forum in hyperdrive! Well done all. Everytime I have a chance to check in I just get the feeling that, well, more than most places on earth, this forum confirms somehow for me the notion that in spite of the beautiful individuality inheirent to the BTD principles and those participating, that we are ONE! Please don't anyone take this too much the wrong way. I just mean I'm trying to say the demonstration of support I've just read here seems to validate for me something basic that many of you most likely already know or feel. As one expression of life force to a bunch of others out there I feel a sublime form of unity on a level rare indeed. It is not original but crafted from others but I'm going to throw it out here: We are ONE and we might as well get good at it! This is a place where I certainly feel that is happening. Please forgive my gush. I hope I'm not out of line. I really don't intend to sound zelous(?) The folks without BTD understanding are ONE also they just don;t get it yet right? I've been -O-in' for a year and a half now and I've thought about writing something along these lines before and this thread prompted me to the tipping point. I'll be quiet now. Iemnli

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY!!! Wonderful, wonderful people. :K) :K) :)

Debra :)

Posted by: Poly, Saturday, July 1, 2006, 5:01pm; Reply: 38

I just want to add a warm welcome to you, mlpaul! I'm impressed with your determination to fight for your and your family's health. (clap)

I find it very sad to hear about your struggle with your doctors. It is astonishing how medical doctors for the sake of their own proffesional pride sacrifice the health of their patients.

Quoted from mlpaul

Yes, it is sad to have to education your physician. I just wish I could find one that is at least half interested in what I'm doing - or at least positively supports me! I'm trying to get my health back - isn't that their goal?

Oh how right you are! ::) I have no health problems and don't overrun my doctor's office, but I must say that I'm now so annoyed at him, that I'm looking for a new one. You see, I used to smoke and was over weight, and my doctor said to me once, that it would be good for me to stop smoking and loose weightSo, last time I saw him (a year ago) for the tri-annual gyn-test-thingy, he asked me: "So, what's new with you?" And I answered with no little pride: "Oh, not much, other than I've stopped smoking and lost 48 lbs!" 8)

You know what he answered??? :o

"Huh...!" And went on leafing through his papers...

Thats what!!! >:(

And I ask like you do: Shouldn't he be thrilled that I did something good for myself and decided to get more healthy? Isn't that his goal? (Maybe he wants me to get sick and overrun his office...???)

Good luck, mlpaul, on your path to health for you and your family. Ask away, and as you have already experienced, an army of knowledge will be at your disposal. :)

ETA: ieatmeatnlikeit, I liked your post a lot! Very true! :D

Posted by: njdiva1 (Guest), Saturday, July 1, 2006, 6:00pm; Reply: 39

Quoted from ieatmeatnlikeit

I just wish to express my astonishment and commendation toward everyone posting here! This is the forum in hyperdrive! Well done all. Everytime I have a chance to check in I just get the feeling that, well, more than most places on earth, this forum confirms somehow for me the notion that in spite of the beautiful individuality inheirent to the BTD principles and those participating, that we are ONE! Please don't anyone take this too much the wrong way. I just mean I'm trying to say the demonstration of support I've just read here seems to validate for me something basic that many of you most likely already know or feel. As one expression of life force to a bunch of others out there I feel a sublime form of unity on a level rare indeed. It is not original but crafted from others but I'm going to throw it out here: We are ONE and we might as well get good at it! This is a place where I certainly feel that is happening. Please forgive my gush. I hope I'm not out of line. I really don't intend to sound zelous(?) The folks without BTD understanding are ONE also they just don;t get it yet right? I've been -O-in' for a year and a half now and I've thought about writing something along these lines before and this thread prompted me to the tipping point. I'll be quiet now. Iemnli

Well said Iemnli! Where else can you find such honest support?

Posted by: Peppermint Twist, Monday, July 3, 2006, 4:31pm; Reply: 40

Quoted from ieatmeatnlikeit

I just wish to express my astonishment and commendation toward everyone posting here! ...As one expression of life force to a bunch of others out there I feel a sublime form of unity on a level rare indeed. It is not original but crafted from others but I'm going to throw it out here: We are ONE and we might as well get good at it! This is a place where I certainly feel that is happening. ...I've been -O-in' for a year and a half now and I've thought about writing something along these lines before and this thread prompted me to the tipping point. I'll be quiet now. Iemnli

Wow, don't be quiet! Not when you write such beautiful sentiments! Yay for our community here! :K)

Posted by: northstar, Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 2:29am; Reply: 41

A hearty welcome to you, mlpaul!

Thanks for sharing. It takes a lot of courage to do so. Stress! If you are an "A" you may suffer more in this area than the other blood types. I swear all my health problems can be traced to stress. No wonder they call it the silent killer!

I came to the diet with some of the symptoms you describe. I was anemic and suffered from allergies, sinutus, ear infections, etc. Anything to do with infections, I got it.

I got fed up with taking antibiotics every few weeks, so decided to give the diet a try. Well, I started out gradually and wheat was the last item for me to give up. (Just happen to love all kinds of bread and spaghetti). I suffered from anemia for years, but the doctors could not find the cause. Iron pills did not help. After a couple of months on the diet I went to my doctor for the yearly check-up. The blood work came back and I was surprised to learn that the iron count, etc were all normal. ;DThe sinutus came back because I started eating wheat products again.I have given up the wheat for 2 weeks and my nasal passages are clear again! But I went out with friends last night and had some Nan. :B Well, my nose is plugged up again! :(The diet does work! You have to be patient and if you are suffering from health problems, be fairly strict with it. But it does work!

Just beware, when you find out what your blood type is you may be tempted to go Cold Turkey. If you do, your body will dump alot of toxins into your body. You may experience flu-like symptoms, etc. You may feel worse before you feel better.

Can't wait to find out what blood type you are.

(sunny)

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 3:27pm; Reply: 42

I've just gotten back from a mini-vacation and my blood test came back! I found out I'm 0+ ;D. I am soooo glad - the more I've read about the different types, the more I found myself fitting into the "0" type over the "A" type - I LOVE and crave meat, and over the past few years, when I was up to my eyeballs in stress, I found out that when I do hard work outside, I feel better. I always told my boss and others that if they want to see how stressed out I am, just look at my yard! I've built a play area for my children with railroad ties, dug up a hill full of rocks in our back yard and filled up the bottom part of the hill to make a level play area, built a huge sandbox, a brick patio and walkway and planted numerous shrubs, flowers and trees. There was nothing like pounding away at landscape timbers with a mallet and nails to take the stress away! This year I have taken up swimming and enjoy swimming laps for 30-min to an hour (depends on how much time my children will give me 8) ).

I wanted to go cold turkey when I found out as I am tired of all the pains and inflammation; however, I will take your advise and go in slowly. I'm just so glad I can have meat - I crave this all the time!

Does anyone know why pork/bacon/ham is an avoid for all blood types? I don't like pork as it is too salty for my liking; however, I have shared this book with almost everyone I know and this question constantly came up (while eating at a restaurant at the beach with relatives, we were discussing the different blood types and foods and dissecting the food on the table and my son said "Mom - how many people have read your book?" He's worried that all his favorite junk food will be eliminated when he goes for a visit).

Thanks for the advise on how to add my blood type to my signature (?) and differentiating someone's shield color and name from their name. I'm starting to get the hang of this! It's also nice to see that this is international and not just limited to those in the US.

Things are starting to fall into place now. I'm going to make a "cheat sheet" for shopping and will begin the diet today (slowly, of course). Thank-you again for all the support! This was very helpful!

I've just gotten back from a mini-vacation and my blood test came back! I found out I'm 0+ ;D. I am soooo glad

Yay! O positive rules.

Quoted from mlpaul

...the past few years, when I was up to my eyeballs in stress, I found out that when I do hard work outside, I feel better. I always told my boss and others that if they want to see how stressed out I am, just look at my yard!

omg, that is SO true of me, too! If my yard ever goes to h*ll, you'll know my life is stress-free.

Quoted Text

I've built a play area for my children with railroad ties, dug up a hill full of rocks in our back yard and filled up the bottom part of the hill to make a level play area, built a huge sandbox, a brick patio and walkway and planted numerous shrubs, flowers and trees. There was nothing like pounding away at landscape timbers with a mallet and nails to take the stress away!

Next to swimming, I feel that gardening is THE best exercise. I've planted something like 62 Mamie Crotons as a "fence" in the front yard, put in brick edging along the sidewalk and front walk, planted out the front city right-of-way with hollies (bad idea in FL, never do this...they are all dying in shifts and, as they do, I'm slowly replacing them as they do with Junipers), and other varieties of crotons (I LOVE crotons), planted one whole length of the house, at the property line, with Italian Cypress, junipers and yet another variety of croton, put in arborvitae as a second-level hedge along the two croton "fence lengths" that extend to the sidewalk from the house, done a little reflective garden (which is terribly neglected right now) in the back yard, planted crotons and a second level hedge of sweet vibernum along the back alley, planted a bunch of trees (live oak, kumquat--yay for O faux citrus!--crepe myrtle, jacaranda, etc.), and other stuff too numerous to mention. And you thought YOU had stress *lol*!!! There was a bunch of existing stuff in the yard already when I moved in ten years ago that seems all to require continual pruning, such as bougainvillea (although I've decided after 10 years of wrestling this stuff to let it win/go wild), hibiscus, etc.

I just spent five hours doing yard work yesterday. Mowing, weeding, re-installing the front wrought-iron gate yet again, planting grass plugs (that I had just weeded from other areas of the yard--recycling, wu HUU!), planting a hibiscus on the side of the house, etc. When all was said and done, I had to make an emergency visit to the chiropractor today in the middle of the workday because I twisted my sacrum up so badly. He said, after one particular adjustment "Well, I think they heard that one over in the next county! You really overdid it this time." Yup. The telltale sign of an O under extreme stress: gardening 'til she just can't garden no mo'! You didn't even need a blood typing test, you could have just mentioned the "gardening 'til you drop" propensity and I could have told ya! ;) ;D

Quoted Text

This year I have taken up swimming and enjoy swimming laps for 30-min to an hour (depends on how much time my children will give me 8) ).

Yup, O alert! Once in water, I refuse to get out. It takes a village to remove me.

Quoted Text

I wanted to go cold turkey when I found out as I am tired of all the pains and inflammation; however, I will take your advise and go in slowly. I'm just so glad I can have meat - I crave this all the time!

Well, I disagree about the advice you got on going cold turkey. Well, "disagree" is too strong a word, as I think all she was trying to say was, just be aware that you may experience some detox if you do it that way, not that you shouldn't do it that way if you want. Personally, I say go cold turkey on "the biggies" like wheat, specifically. Wheat and corn and probably dairy, too, at least until you figure out how much of an issue dairy is for you. I myself can get away with eating some dairy, but other O's have a devil of a time with it and it is very inflammatory, and since you have sinus issues, I would say definitely cut out the dairy for now, until you establish what your "baseline" of health is, then you could begin "testing" the envelope to see if once in a while you could eat a certain avoid. But I would say jettison the wheat NOW! Do not pass "Go", do not collect $200.00! Hey hey, ho ho, eating wheat has got to go!

Quoted Text

Things are starting to fall into place now. I'm going to make a "cheat sheet" for shopping and will begin the diet today (slowly, of course). Thank-you again for all the support! This was very helpful!

If you need any advice on specific substitutions for things, let us know. For example, there are lots of good 100% rice pastas you can use instead of wheat pasta. Pastariso is (or was, not sure if they make it anymore--my HFS doesn't have it anymore, I noticed) one brand. Tinkinyada or somethin' like that is another.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 6:21pm; Reply: 44

I've just typed up the "O" foods onto a piece of paper I can take to the Whole Foods store (left out all the avoids). I guess the next step is to order the secretor test from his website. Will do that momentarily. I believe my whole family are "O's" so it should make meals a whole lot easier. This does explain A LOT! My daughter is a wheat/starch person and she is having bouts of alopecial ariata - an auto-immune problem. My inflammation is coming back in my hands, lower back and feet, as well as GERD - I've eaten some wheat and dairy, and stopped eating meat - thinking I was an "A". I'm on my way now to try to find some of the things mentioned for these conditions in his LR4YT book. I also gained 3-lbs over the last 4-days - I'm going to try his suggestions of squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins for starch replacements and 5HTP for the carbohydrate cravings. The hardest part for me will be the carbohydrate and sweet cravings. I have no self-control when those foods are around.

I can get back to my gardening now that I'm back! All my beds are beginning to be invaded by weeds and bermuda grass (I planted the Zoysia plugs awhile back which work well with my beds, but some leftover bermuda grass won't go away!!!). I also have a few more bushes and trees that I'm turning into topiaries (I have a phobia about snakes - I have seen many in my yard, so I trim all my bushes so that there is no growth ~ 1 ft. from the ground and so that I can walk under my trees). It's amazing how fast things grow!!! I've had a few bushes that I could not "control" so I dug them up and put out by the curb (my neighbors or the city take them for their yards - recycling - yeah!!!). I'm still finding out what works for my area and trying to make a drought-resistant yard that looks inviting and calming.

It has been very interesting to read his book and see how much I can relate to it! I have been discussing it with my husband's family and my family and have found that once someone reads a few pages, they are "hooked!"

The hardest part for me will be the carbohydrate and sweet cravings. I have no self-control when those foods are around.

mlpaul, for me personally, the carb cravings thing is the most challenging part of ANY diet and the BTD is the best one for helping me with that, as once on it, your body and your brain chemistry achieve a balance and thus the cravings are greatly lessened to completely eliminated, but the trick is to figure out how to optimize your own customized, individualized BTD to achieve this consistently and not derail occasionally. It took me several YEARS and lots of jumping the rail to get to where I am now. It also took learning about my secretor status. And time and experience. And I still am learning and have so much to learn, but at least the cravings don't usually strike me and, even better, when they do, I know what to do (whew! major!). When you do initially "slip up" and yield to the carb cravings, don't look at it as a failure, look at it as an opportunity to learn, to observe your own patterns, triggers, what sets you off, what gets you back on track, and ultimately what prevents you from getting off track in the first place. For each of us, this is going to be slightly different, as we are all different, even within types.

For me and for a lot of O's, the keys are giving up wheat and other avoid grains, making sure to eat enough protein not only every day, but ideally at every meal and certainly when you are eating refined carbs or other items high on the glycemic index, and learning what foods are extra beneficial to you in terms of STOPPING carb cravings in their tracks, such as, for me, salmon is the main one, and also eating grapefruit is another, surprisingly. Stuff like that you learn through experience and time and other folks on this board sharing their own experiences and knowledge.

That all makes it sound rather "hard" and/or like it takes a long time to get it "down pat", but really the exciting thing is, from the very first DAY or so that you give up wheat and start eating right for your O type, you will notice a DRAMATIC dip in any carb cravings, among other signs that your system is coming into balance. Eat meat, no wheat. Or, in the immortal words of someone from the old board, Bob L.: "Don't fear the meat, fear the wheat!" LOL, I thought that was so great at the time and I still love it!

Quoted from mlpaul

It has been very interesting to read his book and see how much I can relate to it! I have been discussing it with my husband's family and my family and have found that once someone reads a few pages, they are "hooked!"

That is what made me give the thing a try in the first place: EVERYTHING in the book made sense to me and "resonated" with me. Something that made that much sense and applied to me so much, I had to try.

I'm so excited for you and to hear progress reports. There are some wonderful, great things in store for you. The cravings will disappate, the sinus issues will get MUCH better, and that'll just be for starters. Oh yeah, babe.

Posted by: Don, Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 8:51pm; Reply: 47

Quoted from mlpaul

I'm going to try his suggestions of squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins for starch replacements and 5HTP for the carbohydrate cravings. The hardest part for me will be the carbohydrate and sweet cravings. I have no self-control when those foods are around.

Dr. D no longer recommended 5-HTP for type O because the source material has a type O reactive lectin. I suggest you try some L-glutamine or just make sure you eat plenty of protein. A couple of other recommendations from Dr. D are unsweetened cocoa powder in hot water or sip on some vegetable glycerine (or put the vegetable glycerine in your cocoa).

I also find some eating some nuts or nutbutter seems to help with my after meal sweet tooth desire.

Posted by: Lola, Wednesday, July 5, 2006, 9:37pm; Reply: 48

Quoted Text

Dr D:Griffonia species have about 4-5 different lectins, and the most common commercial source of 5-HTP are Griffonia seeds. Like everything else in this world, your mileage may vary: some people may be able to use it with impunity, others (such as those who are more digestively or immunologically sensitive) would probably do better avoiding it.

Clinically, I've pretty much stopped using it, more for what appears to be a lack of efficacy rather than anything else,.......

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Thursday, July 6, 2006, 1:32am; Reply: 49

Lola - thank-you for the information on pork! I have passed this along.

Peppermint Twist - I will try some grapefruit to help with my cravings (I have not yet aquired a taste for Salmon). I have found that peanuts help; however, I do not see these on his list for O's, so I stopped buying them. I know it will take time to experiment and find out how I react to certain foods and aquire a taste for some new foods (tried Sole today - too fishy for my liking :( ). I'm very excited to begin the journey!

MoDon - I went to the health store today and did some research on 5-HTP, Tyrosine and Glutamin. I have been on 5-HTP before for anxiety (as a natural alternative to Zoloft) and it made my heart palpatations worse so I stopped. The Tyrosine looks great; however, I want to wait due to the cautions (not to use if using MAO-inhibitors. I'm not; however, I thought I would run it by a doctor first). The Glutamine looked to be the most beneficial; however, it was not recommended for people who have kidney issues. I've had an elevated bilirubin test. Not sure if this would be OK or not. I thought I would run this one by a physician as well. I am now ditching my physician and trying to find a naturalist/physician combo in my area. There has to be one around her. I will call the number in the ER4YT book or go on-line. Don't know if the insurance will cover or not. Need to find out more first.

I would like to find someone who will know the different reactions and pros/cons to the natural remedies I want to start . . . stone root for chronic sinus/ear infections; Gentian for GERD (bought today), freeze dried bladder wrack (bought today) for H. Pylori infection (my husband has been diagnosed with this twice - recently, and was given a very high dose of antibiotics both times); Probiotics (bought one today that contains L. Rhamnosus, L. Reuteri & L. Acidophilus) for re-current UTI & bladder infections; and Licorice Root for my husband to help his stomach problems. I am interested in learning more about using Glutamine for cravings (and it looks like overall health), and Jamaican sarsaparilla root for inflammation (couldn't find this in the store today - they had not heard of it! Found some of the other things he mentioned for inflammation mixed in with other items I had not heard of. I did not buy since I didn't know about the other ingredients.

For now, I will stick to eating sweet potatoes and squash to satisfy carbohydrate cravings and Thyme, Oregano & Rosemary leaves for inflammation, and candida infections. I don't want to go too overboard at first as from what I've read, it appears by adopting the diet alone, a lot of ailments will subside without using the natural remedies. In the meantime, I will find another naturalist/doctor combo (one who supports ER4YT - maybe I should interview them first :) ), begin the diet (started today!!!) and then add on the natural supplements as needed.

mlpaul-I'd like to chime in regarding the sinus issues and your husbands cronic fatigue.

I did some research awile back that led me to start using nasal saline to clean out the nasal passages. This simple natural remedy has worked wonders. Saline solution in the morning and evening to clean out the nasal passages combined with multiple hand washes per day. Most people do not clean their hands multiple times per day and touch their nose (for whatever reason) which leads to infection.

Brian - I've heard about using a saline solution for the sinuses. It was recommended to spray it hard in one side and let it drain out the other. I tried - it went straight down my throat :( . I will wash my hands more as I do touch my nose several times/day (it itches a lot and I sneeze quite often).

I have not heard of adrenal gland fatique. I will research this - THANK-YOU! He does consume coffee and black tea - mainly decaf.

I quickly skimmed thru the information on your link (I will read in more depth later - need to get some sleep) and was amazed at how many of these symptoms I have . . .

*****************************************************************************Signs and Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Tendency to gain weight and unable to loose it, especially around the waist. [YES!!]High frequency of getting the flu and other respiratory diseases and these symptoms tend to last longer than usual. [YES!!]Tendency to tremble when under pressure. [YES!!! Never understood this.]Reduced sex drive. [Unfortunately, YES!!!]Lightheaded when rising from a laying down position. [YES!!! I even see stars frequently or "black-out"]Unable to remember things. [Unfortunately, this is setting in.]Lack of energy in the mornings and also in the afternoon between 3 to 5 pm. [Yes!!!]Feel better suddenly for a brief period after a meal. [Yes - especially if I eat meat!]Often feel tired betweeen 9 - 10 pm, but resist going to bed. [Yes!!! - like now]Need coffee or stimulants to get going in the morning. - NOCrave for salty, fatty, and high protein food such as meat and cheese. [Yes!!!]Increase symptoms of PMS for women; period are heavy and then stop, or almost stopped on the 4th day, only to start flow again on the 5th or 6th day. [Yes!!! This is another thing I tried to explain to my doctor that I never understood. Changed over the last year]Pain in the upper back or neck with no apparent reasons . [I have pain in lower back. My husband has the upper back/neck pain]Feels better when stress is relieved, such as on a vacation. [Somewhat, although I "work" during my vacation]Difficulties in getting up in the morning [Yes - recently]Lightheaded [Yes!!!]

I will have to check into this for me as well. It did say there were tests for this now. Hopefully the BTD will work with this as well.

Thank-you again for the information. This may explain a lot of the issues I've had lately with my health! I'll run it by my new doctor.

Posted by: northstar, Thursday, July 6, 2006, 2:55am; Reply: 52

Congrats on finding out your blood type, mlpaul!

So, you have joined the ranks of "Os". Sometimes, I wish I was one. But then, we "As" are allowed wheat. ;D(Except I have to stay off it for awhile due to allergies.) Sigh. >:(

My doctors here in Tokyo told me that all adult pigs are "sick" when they go to slaughter. If you want to eat pork, they said go for the baby pig. Fortunately, as an A I do not have to make that decision. Apparently most adult hogs have some disease or another and some of these can be passed unto humans. (Anyway, this was a few years ago and I am not sure if I have all the copies of articles etc, the doctors passed out.) When I was pregnant I participated, like most moms to be, in prenatal classes. One was nutrition. Anyway, since many East Asians like pork, I thought this was interesting coming from a doctor.

As for cravings, yes they will come and go. In my case, more coming than going. Once every season I eat 100%beef hamburger and enjoy every minute of it! :B I grew up on meat and sometimes that craving just comes. As for wheat, I agree, substitutions are the key. I make wheat-free cookies out of oatmeal, a little rye, dried fruites and nuts. You can check your foodlist and see what works. These cookies I sweeten and they really help when I crave cake, bread, etc.

As for going cold turkey. Your choice in the end. You get faster results when you do. I was just warning you about detox as some are not aware of this when they go on the diet. Trust your instincts.

I found Dr. D's books on allergies and fatigue very useful. He includes information on exercise for your blood type and week-by-week suggestions. It worked for me!

I bought a pot from my yoga teacher which I use to clean out my sinuses. For one liter of warm water I add 1 teaspoon of salt. Very easy to use and it did not feel uncomfortable. I feel this method is better and then buying saline solutions as it gets into spots the other did not. Alot of mucous came out. You can also purchase these pots on the internet. If you decide to get one, go for the stainless steel. But if you feel uncomfortable sticking a spout in your nose, try the saline solutions.

I miss gardening. I have only a little space in front of my home and most of my plants are potted. Better than nothing, I guess. Right now the hydrangeas are gorgeous here. Japanese love gardens and it is not uncommon to visit a park featuring a flower for a particular season. Walking underneath a canopy of cherry blossoms is so uplifting!

(sunny)

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Thursday, July 6, 2006, 3:18am; Reply: 53

Thank-you! I found a stainless steel pot on-line and read about the procedure. I will order one ASAP and try it! Thank-you!

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Friday, July 7, 2006, 11:32am; Reply: 54

Quick update . . . and more questions. I have lost the 3 lbs I gained while on vacation :) ; although I have been feeling very nauseous, a bit shaky and VERY hungry (my stomach growls a lot). I assume from other replys and posts I've read that this is due to detoxing - how long will this last? I did go "cold turkey."

I typed up the list of foods beneficial and neutral for O's and fit on one sheet of paper to take with me while shopping (I even added secretor and non-secretor beneficials/neutrals and then blacked out the block when it was an avoid for one type). I found this very helpful! My son wanted to know what the paper was, so I told him for the next week (actually longer, but can't tell him that right away) we were only going to eat foods from the list. His remark - what can't we eat (bravo!); however, he found out quickly that two of his favorite foods (mango juice and kiwi) were not on the list. He has also helped me to look at ingredients on packaging and comparing it to the list. He loves challenges!

I read the section "Live Right for Type O - Lifestyle Strategies" in the LR4YT book and was AMAZED at how well I fit into the description! This gave me a lot of insight into the root cause of all my stress - ME! I am very impulsive - especially when I get bored, I try to tackle everything at once (I am a problem solver and won't stop until solved), I do make big decisions and spend money when under stress and definately have type A behavior - almost verbadum! At first, I was shocked at how close this fit my personality, then scared to actually see it in black and white, and then it was like a light bulb went off! I looked back at all that I've gone thru in the past few years and found out the problem was really with me and not others! What an awakening!

Still digesting all I've read and have enjoyed reading other threads/posts! The information has been quite helpful!

Another question: I came up with a gluten-free bread recipe last year and noticed that I was using potato starch flour along with many other flours. I tried to replace with Spelt flour and, well, it was a disaster! Since potatoes are an avoid for type O, I assume that that also includes potatoe flour??? If so, back to square one in finding a bread/cookie recipe!

Posted by: mikendomsmum, Friday, July 7, 2006, 2:54pm; Reply: 55

Hi Melanie,Mango juice should be fine if your son is an O. Many bread and cookie recipes are in the recipe file. I've made a lot of cookies, bars and breads and they can be just as good as the old version. I even made toll house cookies substuting 1/3 spelt, 1/3 oat flour and 1/3 ground almonds for the flour and they were great! They spread out quite a bit but a guest at my house said they were better than the wheat flour version. For a start make the chocolate chip oatmeal bars on the recipebase but omit the oatmeal and add some (maybe 1/2 cup) almond butter to the batter. They are good and won't seem any different from regular bars.

where is she, by the way?.......haven t read her posts for sometime now, or her blogs for that matter......

Posted by: Don, Friday, July 7, 2006, 10:33pm; Reply: 61

I have wondered the same thing.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Saturday, July 8, 2006, 1:48am; Reply: 62

I have bought several flours today and printed out some recipes from this website. I will play this weekend with some different kinds of breads and cookies.

Karen - thank-you for the toll house cookie substitutions! I bought some Almond Flour, which is finely ground almonds. I'm very excited about this - THANK-YOU! (this flour is very expensive, but may be worth it as I have gotten rid of all the "healthy junk food" that I had hidden in plastic containers - chips, cookies & crackers. My kids open up the closet and shrug in disappointment as they have been craving snacks!).

Lola - I never thought of using sweet potatoe flour instead! It should give it a sweeter taste (a big plus!). I looked at the link you sent and it is very reasonably priced (as compared to what I've been paying for soy, brown rice, amarath, spelt, and oat flour).

Don, the "Whole Tuber Jerusalem Artichoke Flour, with Probiotic Factor " is expensive. Can I make breads/cookies with this flour? On the link, it looks like a supplement. If I can use it for baking and had a small piece of bread every day, would it do the same thing as the probiotics I currently have stored in the refrigerator (in tablet/capsule form)? Just wondering. If so, it may be worth the cost as those are pretty expensive themselves!

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Saturday, July 8, 2006, 1:52am; Reply: 63

Another question. . . I got the "eat more meat (and protein)" for type O's; however, I'm not sure what to do for breakfast anymore. My family has been VERY dependent on cereals (recently unprocessed ones from the health food store), milk, cheese, toast, grits, pancakes, potatoes and eggs. I'm not quite sure what to give them. We've tried fruit, but that makes them even more hungry.

I'm also concerned about eating sooo much meat. Can too much meat actually turn against me (i.e. eating meat every day for dinner and lunch)? Thanks!

Posted by: Don, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:23am; Reply: 64

I have no idea how the Jerusalem Artichoke Flour could be used. I agree that it appears to be a supplement not a cooking flour. I also would expect the probiotics to be destroyed if used in any type of baking or other cooking methods.

My body tells me when I have had enough red meat and protein. I feel satisfied.

I am divorced and my two sons, now both teenagers, live with me every other week. They have been following the type O- secretor BTD only with the food they eat at my house for over 4 years. They have watched me eat dinner for breakfast for over 3 years. I say all that to tell you that I still have not gotten both of them to eat meat or any high protein foods for breakfast on a regular basis. My younger son will eat certain types of red meat occasionally for breakfast, but not all the time. Maybe if they lived with me all the time they would have made the transition by now, but I have my doubts. They still like cereal for breakfast. I know if I could get them to change their breakfasts it would help them greatly, probably even improve their grades at school.

You might also try offering more vegetables for breakfast like with omelets that are loaded with veggies or mashed sweet potatoes makes a great hot cereal. At least that would reduce their grain consumption, which is a step in the right direction.

Posted by: mikendomsmum, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:25am; Reply: 65

If you look in the LR4YT book it will list the frequencies and amounts of each type of food you should eat per week or day. For an O secretor, you should eat 2-5 ounces of meat 7-11 times per week and 2-5 ounces of fish and shellfish 5-7 times per week. Eggs should be eaten 3-6 times per week (and that's 1 egg). That's a lot of protein but that's how much an O should eat. I think at least twice a day is the only way to get it all in.

(just remembered, these numbers are for rh-, don't know if they're different for +)

Posted by: Don, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:28am; Reply: 66

Quoted from mikendomsmum

If you look in the LR4YT book it will list the frequencies and amounts of each type of food you should eat per week or day. For an O secretor, you should eat 2-5 ounces of meat 7-11 times per week and 2-5 ounces of fish and shellfish 5-7 times per week.

The frequency recommendations are even high if you are Rh- and/or a non-secretor.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Saturday, July 8, 2006, 8:45pm; Reply: 67

OK - I've tried to re-create some of the recipes I've found on this website - some worked, some didn't.

The pancake recipe - worked well: my daughter and husband ate :), my son said they "taste wierd ??)." I used 3/4 cup Spelt + 1/4 cup Almond Meal Flour for the 1-cup flour and added 1-tsp vanilla extract. Close, but not there yet.

The bread - I have not yet found a good substitute for the potatoe starch flour :(. Have tried white rice, brown rice, Almond Meal Flour, Oat Flour and Spelt Flour to no avail. I did try one of the many Spelt Bread recipes on this website. It's still in the bread machine rising. So far, it's doing better than the one I've been using.

Cookies!!! ;D Thank-you so much for the toll house recipe substitutions! I tried it using the "authentic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chiop Cookie Recipe" found on-line thru a google search. The first batch came out rather liquidy (as you mentioned), but tasted good. I played around with it several times and found out that minimizing the amount of butter and adding a bit of baking powder helped A LOT! Here is my modified recipe (my children now have a HUGE smile on their face as the pantry does not look that bare anymore :) ):

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix together until it represents ground corn meal.Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.Mix in the vanilla extract and then the chocolate chips

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven, on a lower rack (I found this to be VERY important to how the cookies would rise. The higher the rack, the lower the rise).Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

The cookies look wonderful when they come out and they do "drop" a little. Will make soft, chewy cookies - not hard cookies.

Sooo glad I found something that works!!! Thank-you for all your suggestions!

Posted by: mikendomsmum, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 8:53pm; Reply: 68

Great job! Thanks for posting the recipe for the cookies. Just one thing about bread, you may have already read it somewhere. Spelt flour needs very little mixing. If I use my bread machine, I turn it off before it's done "kneading" the bread. As soon as it's a smooth ball of dough, off goes the machine. I add a bit more flour than the recipe calls for and add an egg if the recipe doesn't have one. The finished product isn't as crumbly with the addition of an egg. :D

Posted by: Don, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 8:58pm; Reply: 69

You might want to check your baking powder for avoid ingredients.

Remember that type O does better with very few grain servings a week. You might be better to focus your time on integrating beneficial foods, or at least neutral veggies, into your diet.

I thought the following might be helpful:

Quoted from Heidi

There seem to be phases people go through on each diet.

Say, phase 0 is when you're reading about it but haven't made any changes.

Phase 1 is the most difficult (and perhaps exciting) period, where you're trying it out and finding that it seems to be doing some good, but it's a hassle keeping one's food list around and it takes forever to read ALL those labels at the market, and avoiding avoids at parties & so forth.

Phase 2 comes into play when we get a little more sophisticated about substitutes. It's when we still haven't fully grokked the differences in food group proportion between what we used to eat and what our diet is trying to move us toward, so we get very skilled at substituting one ingredient for another, while missing some of the "grand plan" of the O diet. Don't get me wrong: I love bread, too, but if I set myself up as a home bread baker because I love it so much, I'm going to be eating significantly more than the one-to-six servings per week -- yep, per week -- allowed for Rh+ secretors (and way more than the zero-to-three servings permitted for nonsecretors). That's TOTAL grain servings, by the way.

What I'm trying to say is, the diet may not work real well for you as an O if your grain-love leads you off the portion-frequency path. ;-) and I hope you'll take those guidelines as means to move towards Phase 3 ~ where the food items and their frequencies and the proper exercise and stress-relief practices all come together into a lifestyle whole!

Posted by: geminisue, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 9:27pm; Reply: 70

Don My blood type is O + does that mean my rh is + or is this something else I need to find out?

Posted by: Don, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 9:41pm; Reply: 71

Quoted from geminisue

Don My blood type is O + does that mean my rh is + ...?

Yes, the positive refers to the Rh type, so O+ is type O Rh+.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Saturday, July 8, 2006, 10:41pm; Reply: 72

My focus on finding bread/cookie recipes that taste good stem from my children and husband's cravings. Neither are very excited about this diet and are constantly making remarks about there not being any food around to eat. My husband and daughter are NOT happy about eating so much meat. I thought I would try to find some foods that they like that are better for them than what they are currently eating (lots of white flour and corn). I taste them here and there, but do not eat much grains at all (like I use to).

The BTD will have to gradually be phased in for them, or I will lose them completely and junk food will start coming into the house on a consistant basis (I've been throwing it away as it "trickles" in the house now). If I can find recipes that satisfy their "bread/snacking" cravings, that taste good - in addition to all the fruits, vegetables and meats I have around, then I can slowly phase out the amount of breads/cookies until they are down to the recommended servings. Thanks for the information though! ;D

Posted by: mikendomsmum, Saturday, July 8, 2006, 10:49pm; Reply: 73

I hear ya Melanie. I do the same thing. Try Suzanne's Strawberry Bread sometime. It's totally YUM. The raspberry version is yum too. Neither one are too sweet but you'll be wanting to freeze it in single portions because if you don't, you'll eat the whole thing. ;D

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Sunday, July 9, 2006, 2:35am; Reply: 74

Just a quick thought - I know that "O's" are to focus mainly on meat for it's protein and add vegetables and fruits to balance out the meal (this is strictly from my understanding of what I've read), and to severly limit wheat/grain products - all which I have done. Your comments above got me to thinking - according to the chart I made (using the information in the LR4YT book on O's), Soy is an approved bean for nutritional purposes and Almonds are approved nuts. I would assume that neither of these items when made as a "flour" would be considered as a grain. If a bread was made with a very small amount of Spelt, Tapioca, Oat and/or Rice flour and more reliant on Soy Flour and/or Almond Meal Flour, then one could consume more "bread-type" foods than what is normally considered as a serving.

OK - I'm being nit-picky. That's my nature. I find out where my limits are, and then push them as far as I can to give myself more "wiggle room." Isn't that human nature? I guess psychologically I won't feel as if I'm cheating (and will have to hear less complaining from my family, neighbor's children and relatives - who come by VERY OFTEN, which will, in turn, decrease my stress level :)).

Posted by: Don, Sunday, July 9, 2006, 4:02am; Reply: 75

You are right in that neither soy flour or almond meal would be considered a grain.

However, grain is not the only category that should be limited for type O. If you look at the frequency for beans/legumes you will see that it is very small too and it is not one of the best foodcategories for type O. Therefore, using very much soy flour isn't really how a type O should eat. Also some people have problems with soy, either allergies or with the phytoestrogens in it so if you decide to use much soy I would recommend that you take note of how you do with it.

Almonds, and therefore almond meal, are OK occasionally, but I wouldn't recommend eating significant amounts of almonds in any form on a regular basis. Almonds are high in omega 6 EFAs. There again look at the recommended frequency for nuts and seeds and focus your servings on the beneficial ones like walnuts and flaxseed.

Most people new to the BTD think the same way and ask these same sort of food substitution questions. I know I did. Once you get to phase 3 as described above you will probably love your new diet and all the great foods in it and won't miss, or even think about, the grain based foods you used to eat and won't care about finding substitutes for them.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Sunday, July 9, 2006, 11:43am; Reply: 76

I thought about the limitations in these other categories after I sent the post. Thanks for bringing me back "inside the boundaries."

The information as presented in his books, ER4YT and LR4YT is very captivating and is commen sense to me and I thought it would be easy to start this diet; however, now that I have, I do find it VERY hard to rigidly stick to. My hat goes off to those that do. They have awesome willpower (which, I'm sure comes from feeling better). I'm not at that point yet. I have lost some weight initially - probably water weight as I'm constantly going to the bathroom, but I feel hungry ALL THE TIME!

I do eat according to the diet . . . a glass of lemon water upon waking with a banana, an occassional egg or fruit in the morning (I have not been able to eat meat in the morning yet - I am working on this, and trying to find out how to fit it in so it doesn't feel so "wierd"). I eat a very early lunch (around 10:00 am), which is leftovers from dinner, the night before (this includes meat! ;D). I eat the majority of my calories for the day at this time. At night I will have a small portion of what I've cooked for dinner with a salad (packed with beneficials) and/or fruit. My snacks throughout the day consist of fruit and/or a small portion of grains. I have given up all avoids and do not have them in my house (have removed for temptation purposes). I will allow myself to have an occassional avoid when I'm out of the house, which is not very often.

Again - thank-you for all the support and bringing me back in when I've wandered too far out! I hope that my body will soon adjust to this diet and I won't have to think so much!

Posted by: mikendomsmum, Sunday, July 9, 2006, 4:18pm; Reply: 77

If excess weight is an issue then grains and nuts should be used infrequently, if at all. I'm not sure what the frequency/serving size is for soy nuts. I don't have my LR4YT now so I can't look it up. :-/

Posted by: Don, Monday, July 10, 2006, 4:56pm; Reply: 78

I suspect that you would not be as hungry all day if you would start your day with a high protein lower carb breakfast and cut out snacking on grains. Eating protein will usually stop food craving for a type O.

I would be more concerned about the grains, and occasional avoids, you are eating impacting weight loss vs. nuts. I would eat nuts for snacks.

Posted by: 794 (Guest), Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 4:32am; Reply: 79

Welcome to the Diet!

I also get sinus infections and have ear problems but lately what has really helped is to pour salt water into the sinuses, there is a certain pot you can use (forgot the name), a tea spoon of salt per cup. Also I added a drop of coloidal silver to the cup and that worked great. Coloidal silver is a natural antibiotic. You can also put some in your ears to help.

Quiting wheat helped me with chronic fatigue and quitting sugar is very important.

For the stomach problems you might want to try probiotics (natural bacteria found in the stomach). Also quitting sugar should help greatly with this problem.

Posted by: Don, Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 5:16am; Reply: 80

Quoted from saverain

... lately what has really helped is to pour salt water into the sinuses, there is a certain pot you can use (forgot the name), a tea spoon of salt per cup.

It is called a neti-pot. I use 1 tsp of salt per pint of water in mine.

And the past several months I have been putting a heaping 1/4 tsp of xylitol in it too as it is supposed to help infections and fungus (candida). I think that it does help.

Posted by: mlpaul (Guest), Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 1:41pm; Reply: 81

For the past two days, I have incorporated approved beans and lamb sausage into my morning meals - this has helped a lot! I did eat too many of the cookies I made (they were good!!!) and the weight loss stopped (in fact, I gained 1 lb back :( ). I am starting to realize how my body reacts to certain foods and what it needs to get through the day. Eating the meat in the morning helped to ease the hunger pains I had throughout the day. I switched to eating meat in the morning and afternoons and salads/vegetables and fruit at night.

I have ordered a neti-pot (a stainless steel one) and am waiting for it to arrive. I am waiting to find an ND (or someone in the medical profession who supports the BTD) before taking any natural medicine as I want to be careful about reactions and interactions. I will add Xylitol to my list. Thank-you!

Thank-you for all your suggestions! They have helped a lot!

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 6:37am; Reply: 82

hi all I am new to this thing .I got talking to someone about my food problems and all the things that make me run to the toilet,gas problems pains in the gut you get the picture *sigh* and they lead me to here.I ordered the blood test form this site and I'm a type A.Does it matter is your a type A neg or pos?The test says that I'm a type A pos.Im going to order the book but I wont get it for 4 or 5 days.I also don't know about the non secretor or secretor thing as the test I did,did not include that info.What does this mean and how important is it?And where do I get the test to find this out?Also I was told at a health food store since I'm a type A to not eat wheat,and no dairy etc.can anyone give me a longer list of foods to avoid for type A?and some things i can eat.i have no clue of what i can and cant eat now but a few things.I cant wait till I get the book since my tummy has been giving me a lot of problems for years on end.well that's it for now.sorry if I posted this in the wrong section being a newbie and all.I will be back later on today to check back in.thanks all.......bo

The secretor test can be ordered from nap as well.In general about 8 out of 10 people will be secretor- however you´ll notice on this board that a lager % is non secretor.(nonnie)It really changes a lot of food especially for A´sI would say it depends on your situation economically and healthvise.If you can´t afford a test right now I would just start with the secretor diet- but since you have health problems it would be wiser to find out if you are a nonnie.The diet is broken down in secretor and non secretor in the LIVE right for your type book.I personally find it better than the Eat right book- but ERFT is easier to begin with.

You posted right btw :-D

Posted by: KimonoKat, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 7:56am; Reply: 84

Hi Bo, and welcome to the fourm. I see you picked out a shield already. That's great.

Until your book arrives (which ever one you ordered), I highly recommend just browsing around the web site in general. There's a ton of information throughout the entire site, not just the forum here. I recommend checking out the Media Center page. That's where you can actually listen to recordings of Dr. D on the radio, and giving some lectures. I also recommend browsing through Dr. D's wiki. You can find these links on the front page of the site.

And most of all, please feel free to ask as many questions as you need. We are all here to help each other succeed in this new way of eating and living.

If you are dealing with health issues, I highly recommend getting your secretor status tested. Especially as a Type A, because 25+ foods change value from allowed to avoid, on the Type A secretor diet, compared to the Type A non-secretor diet. On the forum, you will also see the term "nonnies." That's forum slang for non-secretor.

Finding out your secretor status is, imho, the number one thing to get you on the right path to eating right for your type. Until your book comes in the mail, I recommend purusing the TypeBase (link at the top of this page, and on the front page of the web site), to see what the status is of some of the foods you regularly eat. TypeBase4 has the most up to date food values, and is the best place to look when looking for a food's value.

I'm sure there will be some other Type A's who will chime in soon with some suggestions on what's best for you. Something that you can start doing immediately, is drink a warm glass of lemon juice (fresh squeezed lemon) first thing in the morning. This helps to clear mucus from the body.

Can you share with us some typical meals that you are eating now? Again, welcome! Keep asking those questions!

Posted by: italybound, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 9:30am; Reply: 85

bo, just wanted to wish you a warm welcome to BTD and the forums!! ;D You are in for such a treat.............good health AND good friends!! ;D ;D

Posted by: geminisue, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 9:53am; Reply: 86

Welcome Bo- it will soon be like home here to you, welcome! You can check out the library while you wait for the book you ordered or others.

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 12:49pm; Reply: 87

thanks.i eat alot of chicken and turkey i was told that was ok?i stoped drinking coffee and soda i use to drink alot of it to much and i feel a little better from cutting those out.in the morning i eat a few dounts bad im sure plain ones.for lunch most of the time its chicken sandwich.for supper i eat alot of rice,chicken turkey,geen beans.i just boguht some weat free bread.im not sure if i can eat butter?but the health food store told me no dairy so i bought some non dairy milk.its really hard i have to bring my food with me now and not eat out like i use to.Also i was told pizza is out.since i cant eat wheat is there wheat free pasta?thanks for the welcome

Hi Bo and welcome.With salmon, turkey, chicken, rice, amaranth, quinoa and spelt product you are safe both as a secretor and as a nonnie, as with veggies and fruit, forgetting, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants.Be very careful with sugar or try not to use it, but agave syrup and vegetal glicerine, if you have sugar problems, diabetes, a large belly or overweight to overcome. Dextrose, Corn syrup, inverted sugar, maltodextrines in foods and beverages are to avoid checking the labels. Citric acid and ascorbic acid from corn (as in most commercial products can bother you if you are a nonnie.If you'll be a nonnie you'll have again allowed bananas, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and new entry lamb and scallops.Soy beans, tofu and tempeh are beneficial for secretors and neutral for nonnies. Soy milk is always to check for avoids; it should have in the ingredients just soy and perhaps calcium, or the alga Lithotamnium.If after a month or two of this diet you don't fell really better you should check with and health professional which problems bother you. Celiac disease is far common and underdiagnosed could be the cause of your gut symptoms and the gluten free diet plus BTD should heal all very well.best wishes Maria Giovanna

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 1:03pm; Reply: 89

thanksi find it odd though it says i can drink coffee but the thing is i cant.it sends me running to the bathroom i wonder why that one is wrong?

Posted by: Henriette Bsec, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 1:35pm; Reply: 90

Quoted from bo

thanksi find it odd though it says i can drink coffee but the thing is i cant.it sends me running to the bathroom i wonder why that one is wrong?

We are all individuals :-)

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 5:20pm; Reply: 91

Quoted from Henriette_Bsec

We are all individuals :-)

i guess your right i just thougt everything is the book was right but i gues a few things are not?anyway im wondering why all of you are on this diet?it is for bowel problems?weight problems?and did it help you at all?i really would like to hear anyone who had bowel problems and got better from it.how long did it take you to feel better?

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 5:22pm; Reply: 92

i was also wondering why they sell that blood test on this site to find your blood type but it wont tell you if your a non secretor or a secretor?you think they would make a test you could do at home just like the one they sell here on the site that would tell this seeing you should know.

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 5:29pm; Reply: 93

if i had to guess i would say im a secretor as i know bananas, tomatoes i cant seem to eat.

Posted by: geminisue, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 7:24pm; Reply: 94

Bo- and other newbies- go to the top of the page and click on home- then click on blood type recipes-here you will find many recipes that will help in making better food decisions.

Also go to the top click on NAP type in secretor test in search and click. They sell it for 47.95

Posted by: Lola, Saturday, June 16, 2007, 7:42pm; Reply: 95

only specialized labs do secretor testing....so it is not something that can be done at home like a simple blood test.

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Saturday, June 16, 2007, 11:07pm; Reply: 96

thanks everyone here is very helpful.do all of you do the secretor testing done at the same place?i saw a link to a place and they send you something then you have to get your blood dran and then send it in?

Posted by: Drea, Sunday, June 17, 2007, 1:19am; Reply: 97

from personal experience, there are two ways to get your secretor status typed. The easier (and cheaper) way is to order the saliva test kit from NAP CLICK, unless you also want to find out your subtype and NN status...in that case, you'll have to get blood drawn from a doctor and order up a kit from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine CLICK, and this costs much more...

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Sunday, June 17, 2007, 1:28am; Reply: 98

thanks so much for letting me know about the saliva test kit do you have the link wheer i can order it from?do i have to send it in or is it a do it yourself?I see your a type A like me do you also have a weak tummy i was reading type A's have bad tummys is this true?

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Sunday, June 17, 2007, 1:31am; Reply: 99

ok i got the link for nap but that looks like a blood test is it?do i have to mail it in to get the results or is it a at home test?thanks so much for your help.i was reading on the site you have to wait for someone to contact you?how do they do this by phone or e mail?thanks

Posted by: Drea, Sunday, June 17, 2007, 2:34am; Reply: 100

Quoted from bo

thanks so much for letting me know about the saliva test kit do you have the link wheer i can order it from?do i have to send it in or is it a do it yourself?I see your a type A like me do you also have a weak tummy i was reading type A's have bad tummys is this true?

The link picture for the secretor test link shows blood, but the actual test is saliva. The link I posted is the site where you order the kit. You have to send it in to be tested, and they will notify you either by snailmail or on-line, depending which choice you make on the form. It's been a long time since I had mine done, so if you are unclear, I suggest you talk to the nice folks from NAP.

As far as my tummy goes, I can eat almost anything. The problems manifest themselves in my digestive track or in swollen joints...

Posted by: Ribbit, Sunday, June 17, 2007, 3:22am; Reply: 101

Bo,

As an A (and a friend of many As), I can tell you that we all (all, not some) have weak tummies. I don't think I know a single A who doesn't have stomach complaints, unless they're on this diet.

Sometimes when you're first starting out, you have to really, really pay attention to what's in your food, till you get the hang of reading ingredients and noticing additives that are "no-no's." My first thought when you said you had trouble with coffee was, "Hm. I wonder if he's dumping milk in it, or a non-dairy creamer with corn syrup."

Some of the biggest problem foods (causing trouble for the stomach specifically) for As seem to be wheat, dairy, corn if you're a nonnie, and maybe red meat and vinegar.

Hope this helps some.

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Sunday, June 17, 2007, 4:30am; Reply: 102

thanks for your help everyone.im going to order the saliva kit and then i will know for sure if im a nonnie or a secretor.as far as the coffe goes i was putting mil in it.why didnt i think of that?im wondering what types of stomach complaints you A's have anyway if you care to share at all?

Bo, As an A (and a friend of many As), I can tell you that we all (all, not some) have weak tummies. I don't think I know a single A who doesn't have stomach complaints, unless they're on this diet.

bolded emphasis added by me...that's the key, I think. I don't have tummy troubles because I eat right for my type...and it's been over 7 years. Although, I've always had a cast iron stomach in terms of food.

Posted by: Ribbit, Monday, June 18, 2007, 1:36am; Reply: 105

Wow, Drea. Lucky duck. :) I don't have tummy troubles anymore, because I'm on this diet. But I used to be so constipated as a kid that I'd go about once a week. And my stomach just hurt all the time. As I got older it all continued, and finally I saw a homeopathic doctor who took me off wheat, diary, corn and potatoes. Good advice on his part since I wasn't supposed to eat any of them anyway. After I discontinued them, my digestion improved some, but was still really sluggish. But my body healed enough to begin to react to those foods when I'd eat them. If I had even the slightest bit of dairy, I'd spend the next day running to the bathroom. If I had the slightest bit of wheat, the depression would come back, and I'd be severely constipated. After I began the BTD and removed red meat from my diet, my bowels became regular and easy and ... almost enjoyable ... (comparitavely) ... No troubles at all anymore, unless I ingest dairy or wheat.

You may do well to take all the avoids out of your pantry and fridge and freezer and give them to a friend. That way you won't forget or be tempted.

Posted by: 314 (Guest), Monday, June 18, 2007, 5:19am; Reply: 106

im glad you are doing well.i hope this diet helps my tummy.i never really been tested to see what foods i should stay away from.but the homeopathic doctor thing i may try i guess they really know what there doing.

Posted by: Mitchie, Monday, June 18, 2007, 10:00am; Reply: 107

Welcome Bo from another "A" -

I've pretty much had a cast iron stomach all my life so tummy complaints weren't on my "fix it" list. I wanted to change my eating habits mostly to try to rid myself of scalp psoriasis I've been fighting for approximately 9 years.

While I still have the psoriasis (although not as severe) what I did discover since changing the foods I eat are other benefits such as:

No more constant nose blowing and plugged up ears (that came I believe from giving up dairy).

No more achy muscles.

Slight weight loss (the six pounds I had been trying to lose forever).

Arthritis in my thumb disappeared.

These were problems that I had had for so long I thought they were "normal". The BTD eliminated them and made me realize what I was eating (or not eating) really DID matter.

Give yourself time to adjust to a new way of eating. I really no longer consider myself to be a "recreational" eater. I eat now for the nutritional benefit of the foods instead of the short-term sugar/carb emotional eating I was comfortable with.

Don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed, just try to find something you like and that's beneficial for you when you stop eating something that isn't.

One more thing. As you eliminate foods and add others you may find yourself going through a couple detox episodes. Mine were slight pimple outbreaks, incredibly itchy foot bottoms and a skunky smelling armpit. These only lasted a couple days and I looked at them as my body ridding itself of c**p. They were a good thing! ;D

Welcome, bo!!! If I do say so myself, we are a very lovely bunch of people here and welcome any questions or comments you have, so don't be shy. I hope you will love how great the diet is for your health and that you'll love it here at BTD Central. :)

Quoted from bo

I got talking to someone about my food problems and all the things that make me run to the toilet, gas problems pains in the gut you get the picture *sigh* and they lead me to here. I ordered the blood test form this site and I'm a type A.Does it matter is your a type A neg or pos?

The Rhesus type (positive or negative) doesn't matter so much. The main thing is your ABO type and your secretor status (secretor or non-secretor). The vast majority of people (around 85%) are secretors, so that is the population that the original book, Eat Right for Your Type, was mainly tailored to. The following book, "Live Right for Your Type" refined it further by secretor type, which was good news for us non-secretors, because the non-secretor refinements do make a big difference to us, although just the original diet as outlined in ER4YT is a huge, HUGE improvement from the standard American diet, and should greatly help all the issues you mentioned above.

Quoted from bo

The test says that I'm a type A pos. Im going to order the book but I wont get it for 4 or 5 days. I also don't know about the non secretor or secretor thing as the test I did, did not include that info. What does this mean and how important is it?

Well, it is important but, at the same time, it isn't anything to worry about when you are a brand, spankin' newbie. Like I said, even if it turns out that you are a non-secretor and you have been following the "regular" diet as outlined in ER4YT, it is still a vast improvement over the standard American diet. It is still right for your ABO type and that is the main thing. That said, at some point, it is a very good idea to get tested for nonniehood, especially if you find that the non-secretor descriptions and tendencies, as you go along around here and learn more, seem to fit you. If and when you wish to order a test for nonniedom, you can order it from this site, and it is a saliva test.

Quoted from bo

Also I was told at a health food store since I'm a type A to not eat wheat,and no dairy etc.can anyone give me a longer list of foods to avoid for type A?and some things i can eat.i have no clue of what i can and cant eat now but a few things.

Well, you really, really, really need to get one of the books for that and I'm glad you've ordered one. For now, you can click on "Typebase" to find out which foods are beneficial, neutral, or avoid for your type. Beneficial means that the food is super good for your type and acts almost like a tonic or medicine in your system. Neutral means that the food acts like a food, not especially good or bad for you in terms of your blood type, and neutrals are good for variety in the diet. Avoid means that the food acts almost like a poison in your system. Some avoids are worse than others, you will learn which ones as you go along, too--don't worry. This can all seem overwhelming at first but truly it is a simple diet to practice. The theory is a bit complex but the practice is very user-friendly and doable!

Quoted from bo

I cant wait till I get the book since my tummy has been giving me a lot of problems for years on end.well that's it for now.sorry if I posted this in the wrong section being a newbie and all.I will be back later on today to check back in.thanks all.......bo

You posted in the exact right place, no worries, mate. And I am very happy for you because I know from experience that you are in the right place and this diet is going to help you as it has so many others. I can't wait to start seeing your posts about your great results--wu HUUUUUUUUUUU! I love newbies! It always makes me grateful anew when I remember how amazing this thing is in the very beginning. The thrill never wears off...it just starts to seem normal, which is lovely.

thanks for your help everyone.im going to order the saliva kit and then i will know for sure if im a nonnie or a secretor.as far as the coffe goes i was putting mil in it.why didnt i think of that?

The milk, especially combined with the strong caffeine in coffee, could definitely be the culprit there. A's sometimes have good luck with coffee with no milk in it, but this is one thing that, while it is okay and even good for A's in moderation, is only good in moderation, ya know? Far, far better for A's is green tea. I love a particularly rich, robust brand called Haiku 100% organic Hojicha roasted green tea. Ummmmmmmmmmm! Here's a link for it (it is the one/variety in the red box):

in the morning i eat a few dounts......... the health food store told me no dairy so i bought some non dairy milk.

these are prob 2 of your problems. Donuts, while they taste so very yummy, are a big total avoid. first of all the genetically modified to h*ll and back wheat they use and then add to that the crappy oil they use to deep fry and the deep frying itself creates acrylimides http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=acrylamidenon dairy milk prob has avoids in it............and when eating donuts, you prob want coffee, eh? ;)btw, would you mind sharing if you are male or female. I noticed someone said he, while I was thinking she LOLas for why the coffee isn't ok for you being an A and the book says it is.........as Drea says we are all individuals. it's not that the book or doc are wrong, it's that the values doc sets are pretty much guidelines except for the avoids. avoids are avoids. not all A's will be able to tolerate the same things......you just have to pay attn to how you feel after you eat. after a while you'll start noticing patterns. takes a bit to 'slueth' it all out, but it will come :-)as for why everyone is BTD'ing............many reasons.........for me, I just wanted to be healthier. I was at 100% compliance and noticed alot of things leaving me. Yea!!! Daily migraines, sinus headaches, bronchitis, all sinus issues, many many digestive issues, and lots of arthritis like pain. I got rid of all that just by changing to the foods Dr. D'Adamo suggests for my blood type. I took no supplements. give it a bit to kick in........remember, you got in the shape you're in over a period of years, so the change back won't happen overnight ;) tho I do have to say, the sinus and migraine headaches for me, were gone within a week. ;DMy O brother was having IBS prob. Got off the wheat and beer and is much much better now. :)My A husband has a stomach of steel. not much bothers his tummy except onions. on the other hand, he suffers in the joints and from boils from the avoids. some day he'll get the big pic I hope :-/Hope you are feeling better soon. :-)

Posted by: Drea, Monday, June 18, 2007, 6:52pm; Reply: 112

Quoted from Ribbit

You may do well to take all the avoids out of your pantry and fridge and freezer and give them to a friend. That way you won't forget or be tempted.

When I lived alone, I did just this. But now that I share a house with another (non-BTDer O) person, that's not possible. Will-power has to be greater in this case.

Posted by: italybound, Monday, June 18, 2007, 7:24pm; Reply: 113

Quoted from outdoordrea

I share a house with another (non-BTDer O) person.... Will-power has to be greater in this case.

Same here :'( I can say however, that Rich doesn't eat a lot of junk food, just foods not good for his BT.

Posted by: Drea, Monday, June 18, 2007, 9:04pm; Reply: 114

Quoted from pkarmeier

Same here :'( I can say however, that Rich doesn't eat a lot of junk food, just foods not good for his BT.

Same with my DH...he eats foods not good for his blood type and my blood type....

Posted by: 950 (Guest), Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 7:09am; Reply: 115

Hello to all!I'm a newbie here. I tried the BTD halfheartedly several times a few years back. With my husband's help I'm going to seriously do it this time. I'm a type A waiting for the secretor test, but I must be a nonsecretor as I have all the foibles that they seem to have. I worked in the health food/supplement industry for 8 yrs which is where I encountered all things Blood Type.I'm on my 4th. day on the regular A diet. I have not eaten any meat-just Ezekiel bread, rice, and other grains as well as fruit and veggies. The problem I've always had with the diet is that after a few days on the grains I start not feeling good. My stomach feels cold and funny-I have never done well with grains. Ezekiel bread seems too intense. I have taken digestive enzymes for years and have always felt best eating fatty, salty, proteins-especially cheese! Salmon makes me sick. I love pizza, but pull off the topping and eat it and leave the dough part. This is confusing to me because an A should do well with grains right? Yet I do best with butter, cheese, and salt especially. I have given up my lifetime favorite-potatoes. Does anyone else have experience with being an A and not tolerating grains well? I also have a clotting disorder (thick sticky blood-high fibrinogen), reactive arthritis from Valley Fever, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and essential tremors. So obviously after reading about non-A's (which I must be) and their particular maladies I realize I must try this 100 %.Any thoughts about the grain issue?This website is awesome!Sunny

I know I came here for weight issues, but also just to FEEL BETTER overall.(sunny)

This is a wonderful bunch of people, and are very quick to give you answers to just about everything.

You will find that small steps will make you feel wonderful, and rarely do you feel like you are missing out on something. In the short time I have followed the BTD, I ave lost 20 pounds, and no longer take Celebrex. For this alone I will always be grateful.

Posted by: Ribbit, Tuesday, July 3, 2007, 7:06pm; Reply: 118

Sunny,Have you tried laying off the spelt and wheat (and maybe oats too) and just eating other grains like amaranth and quinoa? Quinoa pilaf is pretty good as well as high in protein. Amanranth can be ground into flour and mixed with quinoa flour to make pretty good muffins. You don't have to go heavy on grains on the A diet. You just have to fill in with other things.

Sound like you may need to find a good protein source that's not cheese. Any other fish that sets well for you?

Posted by: Lola, Wednesday, July 4, 2007, 7:05am; Reply: 119

Becky,those are great results you are having!you must feel real proud of yourself!

Posted by: Victoria, Wednesday, July 4, 2007, 5:14pm; Reply: 120

Sunny, If you are a nonnie, you might not do as well with grains as secretors do. And I agree with Ribbit thatnon-gluten grains may do you better. You don't HAVE to eat large amounts of grains as a type A. Some A's on this forum are nearly or completely grain-free.